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When we moved into our home a little over a year ago, the laundry “nook” was definitely an eyesore. There was a ceramic single light fixture with no light bulb and the pull chain had been ripped from the fixture- hence the no light bulb.. they couldn’t turn the light off anymore. The flooring was dingy and just nasty. The walls a dull dingy beige, and there was a single shelf that was improperly supported so it was sagging in the middle.

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The first thing we did before we officially moved in was rip out the nasty linoleum and we replaced it with a peel and stick tile that looked like marble. It was a quick fix as we were moving in in the next few days. We also had a friend who is an electrician install a light switch for the light so we could actually put a light bulb in the fixture and turn it off and on. The room sat as it was ever since.

I finally decided that one of the spaces I spent the most time in needed to at least be functional and attractive. So I sketched out the space, created a mood board, and got to work.

The first thing I did was remove the old sagging shelf and the side support boards. I then patched the all the holes and then sanded the areas. I now had a clean slate to start with.

I painted the two side walls and the inner back wall (that no one will ever see) white- my favorite go to white is Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. I then painted the main “focal” wall with chalk paint. I used Waverly in the color Elephant– it is a true charcoal color.

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Once all the walls were dry, I added the look of shiplap to the two side walls using a technique called sharpie shiplap. (I will have a separate tutorial with detailed instructions coming soon!)

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Then the stenciling began. I chose the Santa Ana stencil pattern from Cutting Edge Stencils, this is the size medium which produces an 8″x 8″ tile pattern. I chalk painted with white to have a nice contrast against the charcoal and coordinate with the other white walls. (I will be doing a post on all the tips, tricks and how to’s of stenciling coming soon!)

Once the focal wall was stenciled, I felt like I had accomplished so much already. The space already looked a zillion times better. Next up was the light fixture and the open shelves.

The light fixture is a vintage funnel I found last year at a local antique store. I knew I would use it as a light… I was waiting for the perfect spot to use it.. and when I started the laundry area- I knew it would be perfect here. I purchased a light kit on amazon and wired it up… we had light!

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I planned for two upper open shelves and one super wide folding area directly above the washer and dryer. I will be doing a blog post on installing those open shelves coming soon!

Once the shelves were all installed it was smooth sailing. I did any last minute paint touch ups (caused by the shelf installation) and then it was time to get it styled- my favorite part.

I purchased the Laundry sign almost 8 months ago- knowing this space would get done eventually. I actually planned the space around the sign. I then found the wire baskets with the numbered canvas liners from Michael’s when they were on sale 50% off ( I hardly ever buy anything unless its on sale). Then I found the glass canisters and the metal bins at Walmart. Would you believe the galvanized bins are actually ice buckets? They are the perfect size for storage. I plan to store my miscellaneous decor items in all the bins and baskets- greenery, pillow covers, throws…. you know all the things we need to access regularly, but don’t use everyday.

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I am still deciding if I will add some drop cloth curtains on the outside… but we use the space so often, I don’t actually see us ever really closing them. So for now, I am calling the space finished! I am so excited to do all the dirty laundry in a pretty space.

Stay tuned for more tutorials and DIY’s.

XOXO Tiffany 💕